welcome to bbc news, live in singapore. the headlines: the king of saudi arabia issues an order allowing women to drive for the first time. this is a historic day for saudi society, for men and women, and we can now say, at last. more than 75,000 people have now been evacuated from their homes on the slopes of a volcano in bali, amid fears of an imminent eruption. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: prosecuted for being gay. we meet the south korean solider who fell victim to an old law which bans homosexual activity in the nation's army. 15 years in a vegetative state, now doctors have used an implant to restore a patient‘s consciousness. we report on this pioneering treatment. it is 7:00am in singapore,

midnight in london, and 2:00am in riyadh, where for the first time women will be allowed to drive. saudi arabia's king salman issued an order allowing women to be given driving licences. the announcement ends the conservative islamic kingdom's status as the only country where it is forbidden. here is how the announcement was made at the united nations. you may be interested to know that, a few minutes ago, a royal decree has been issued in saudi arabia even in women the right to drive. applause this is a historic day for saudi

society, for men and women, and we can now say at last. and here is how the us state department reacted to the news. i heard that. i don't want to get ahead... i believe it is the saudi foreign minister who is going to be making an announcement later today, so making an announcement later today, soi making an announcement later today, so i don't want to get ahead of that. savvy president has announced, a royal decree has been announced. they have announced it? ok, it is really up. don't worry, you are not breaking the news embargo. well, we're really happy. sally women being able to drive, certainly here in the united states we would welcome that, and i think it is a great step in the right direction for that country. earlier, we had reaction from our security correspondent frank gardner, who has worked extensively in saudi arabia. iam not i am not surprised it has happened now. the king, king salman, is very

close to his son, the crown prince, as you would imagine. in the crown prince is pushing through a programme called vision 2030. he wa nts to programme called vision 2030. he wants to modernise saudi arabia and bring it far more in line with the rest of the world. he wants to introduce entertainment. he had a lwa ys introduce entertainment. he had always hinted that this would be possible. now, you may think that it is saudi kings, saudi monarchs, printers, that have been holding the country back all these years. it is not them, it is the religious conservatives, and some of the views they have expressed as to why women shouldn't drive have upset a lot of people. they have said they are too stupid to drive, or it will burn their ovaries, or very popular among religious conservatives, they say that it will lead to chaos and privately. men and women getting together and having trysts in the backseat of cars or going off on dates together in cars. there probably will be a bit of that, but the most important impact here is that it liberalises, it liberates saudi women economically, because they no longer have two depend on

these imported... these 800,000 imported chauffeurs from indonesia, philippines, india and other countries. and families can't afford it. you might think that saudi arabia, because it is a rich country, that everybody is rich. they are not. a lot of that really struggle on small budgets, and they can't afford this. so this is a huge day for saudi arabia, and it will allow women to take part properly in the economy. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: indonesian authorities are warning that an active volcano on the holiday island of bali has entered a critical phase, and an eruption could be imminent. more than 75,000 people have already left the area surrounding mount agung, and are being sheltered in temporary accommodation or with relatives. tom donkin reports. the excruciating wait for disaster, which could either strike at any moment or never at all. bali is an

island on edge, with a warning that its highest volcano may erupt. certainly the signs are there. white smoke is now masking much of mount agung, and hundreds of tremors are being recorded daily, a sign that magma is approaching the surface. authorities are taking these warnings seriously. in 1963, more than 1700 people were killed in an eruption. many homes were also destroyed. today, for locals preparing for the worst but hoping for the best, this is home. more than 75,000 people have moved into relief shelter. these are makeshift cities in limbo, full of lives on hold. how long for is anyone's yes. translation: i am hold. how long for is anyone's yes. translation: iam bored hold. how long for is anyone's yes. translation: i am bored spending days and days here. at home, i can work. i have my cows and chickens to ta ke work. i have my cows and chickens to take care of. it hurts that my home has been abandoned. the experts

simply don't know when, or if indeed, mount agung will erupt. the country's president arrives to offer support, stability. but even information from the top is uncertain. translation: it is not easy to handle a volcanic eruption, because there is no certainty when it is going to happen, or if it is going to happen at all. for tens of thousands of tourists, holidays continue unaffected, for now. each are far enough away to be considered safe, and airlines continue to land. atan safe, and airlines continue to land. at an eruption would put ash in the sky and keep planes on the ground. so for now, while mount agung rumbles on and predictions change, the weight continues. —— wait continues. also this hour: millions of people in puerto rico are still without electricity in the wake of hurricane maria. outside of the capital, many are still isolated without power or communications, which could take weeks to restore. clean water and medicine

are also scarce. cbs correspondent david begnaud says the conditions have worsened in the days since the hurricane struck. look, the mayor of sanjuan walked up look, the mayor of sanjuan walked up to me ina look, the mayor of sanjuan walked up to me in a hotel today and said may day. she described a situation where people are dying. they are running out of diesel fuel here, and as the mayor said, on this island, because of the communication structure and the power grid is decimated, when it comes to fuel, it means life on this island. the mayor says i told you five days ago that people might die. today i am telling you that people are dying. listen, the sunlight is deceiving right now, and there is a beautiful wind and i am looking out at the water, but it isa am looking out at the water, but it is a downright emergency here in puerto rico, and officials are telling us it is getting worse, not better. in thailand, the country's highest court is due to hand down a delayed verdict against former prime minister yingluck shinawatra. 0fficials initially planned to announce their ruling last month, but ms yingluck never showed up.

she reportedly fled to dubai to avoid the charges. ms yingluck faces up to ten years in prison if convicted of negligence over her involvement in a billion—dollar rice scheme. more than 6,000 people have been moved to emergency shelters on vanuatu's northern island, ambae, in the south pacific, as a volcano there threatens to erupt. the volcano stirred earlier this month, but intensified over the weekend, and began emitting ash and volcanic gas. the last eruption was back in in 2005. this is the scene in the ugandan parliament earlier. punches were thrown, and some chairs, as tensions grow because of an attempt to remove the presidential age limit. under the constitution, a person standing for president must be younger than 75, meaning the current head of state, yoweri museveni, is ineligible to run in the next polls in 2021. there has been a major trial getting under way in hong kong.

well, a retrial, to be more accurate. the territory's former chief executive donald tsang is facing bribery charges over the refurbishment of a penthouse apartment paid for by a media company which was subsequently awarded a radio station licence. on tuesday, he entered a not guilty plea. he was found guilty of misconduct in public office in february, but that jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge of bribery. so this is a retrial, how long will it now take as mac that's right, this is the donald tsang corruption trial round 2.0. the last time we talked about him was in february during his first trial. at the end of that trial he was found guilty of one count of corruption, for which he is serving a 20 month sentence,

the most senior hong kong official to be tried and convicted of corruption. thejury to be tried and convicted of corruption. the jury then cleared him of another charge, and they failed to come to an agreement on a third charge, so the prosecution has decided to bring that charge to try again. so that process started on tuesday. he has already pleaded not guilty, it is expected to last for about 25 days, and jury selection began and ended on tuesday. rico, let mejust show began and ended on tuesday. rico, let me just show you how this is being covered in the local newspapers. this is the apple daily, a very popular chinese language daily. you might be able to make out a photo of donald tsang there. he is smiling slightly as he leaves the court. he appears to be in better spirits these days. perhaps he is accepting more of his circumstances, and the headline here is i don't like donald tsang, and thejuror allowed to go, summarising what happened during the selection of

jurors. 0ne gentleman said that he didn't like donald tsang, and he was allowed to essentially not serve as pa rt allowed to essentially not serve as part of that jury. allowed to essentially not serve as part of thatjury. let me just show you, next, the south china morning post. this is the top—selling english—language paper of record in hong kong. again, a similar photo of mr donald tsang, wearing that distinctive bow tie that he is often wearing. he is smiling a bit more, seated in a car next to his wife, selina, of many years. another headline, donald tsang denies graft charge at high court trial, and the jury charge at high court trial, and the jury is composed of five women and four men. and that is the latest, rico. i will be certainly watching this trial and reporting back to you. thank you so much for the update. in south korea, the military has been prosecuting gay soldiers under an old law which bans homosexual activity in the army. campaigners have called it a witch—hunt, while

the military has defended its actions, saying that they are aimed at protecting the wholesomeness of the army. 0ne at protecting the wholesomeness of the army. one of the soldiers being prosecuted has spoken to the bbc. his identity has been concealed for his protection. doi do i have to live as a crewman because i am gay? this lot exists to kill homosexuals. —— this law. i was really embarrassed. the investigator came to me, all of a sudden, and began to ask which soldiers i met, and what i did with them. they took my phone as evidence. i'm constantly afraid that other soldiers in my battalion will find out. i am also scared of what the outcome of the trial will be,

and how long i will have to spend in jail. 0ur our country still looks that homosexuality in negative way, so i have kept my sexuality hidden from my family. i heard from other gay people that their parents were shocked when they told them. once the trial is done, i will tell my pa rents. the trial is done, i will tell my parents. i always struggling with fear. if i am convicted, i will have to give up my dream and leave the army. i will feel betrayed by the military, and by my country. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the unusual measures that japanese authorities are taking

to stop elderly drivers. ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all the athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before,

breaking the record by six minutes. this is newsday on the bbc. our top stories: the king of saudi arabia issues an order allowing women to drive for the first time. more than 75,000 people have now been evacuated from their homes on the slopes of a volcano in bali, amid fears of an imminent eruption. dyson, the company best known for its vacuum cleaners and fans, says it's going to spend $2.7 billion developing a "radical" electric car. the battery—powered vehicle is due to be launched in 2020. however, no prototype has yet been

built and a factory site is yet to be chosen. that story is popular at bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we begin with the south china morning post and, as we've heard from our correspondent in hong kong, the territory's former chief executive donald tsang has denied a corruption charge in the high court. mr tsang is the highest—ranking official to be prosecuted, facing one count of accepting a bribe when he was chief executive. the trial‘s expected to last 25 days and with senior officials set to testify. the strait times is covering the rohingya refugee crisis with the united nations security council set to thrash options on a way forward on wednesday. this picture on the front page showing the bangladesh army distributing food aid at a refugee camp.

and, finally, connecting the dots — the japan times has some exciting news for art lovers. japanese artist yayoi kusama, known for her repetitive patterned imagery, is opening a museum in downtown tokyo for her paintings and sculptures. what story is sparking discussion online? shopping list. this was created by an indian woman to help her husband with their weekly shop. there are little illustrations, showing him what to look out for. the list has struck a chord. thousands have been talking about it online. back now to our main story, that women in saudi arabia are to be allowed to drive for the first time.

madeha al ajroush, saudi arabia's most prominent female rights activist, took part in the first driving protest there in 1990. she reacted to the news from the saudi capital, riyadh. ims are happy. i'm out of words. shocked and happy at the same time. it's a big dealfor all saudi women and it's a celebration, indeed. it goes along with the national 2030 plan that women would be part of the saudi economy and development and i'm so happy that the government are taking women more seriously and we are part of the strategy of 2030.m has taken almost three decades. did you expect it to happen now?|j has taken almost three decades. did you expect it to happen now? i don't know about now, but i expected it to

happen anyway. we have seen a lot of changes and the optimistic society is ready. the religious groups have really lost credibility with the youngsters and we are ready. i think that the prince has felt that and he is moving the nation forward progressively when it comes to social issues. how does this move saudi arabian women's rights forward ? saudi arabian women's rights forward? majorly. it is extremely important. women are now able to drive themselves to school, the university, the hospitals, to work. the nation used to stop when children are going out of school. fathers used to go out and pick up children from school and now the nation will operate very normally. it isa nation will operate very normally. it is a celebration of... for men and women. it is a family issue. so

it is really a big deal. it is a big deal and a major celebration for men and women in saudi arabia. for you, personally, how are you planning to celebrate today? are you planning to go behind the wheel this morning?” will wait untiljune and have my license and i will be one of the first people getting that licence. the official licence in saudi arabia and be driving on the street. that isa and be driving on the street. that is a big deal. i will definitely be one of the first women applying for the licence and i'm excited! 0ver over to france. a man who'd been in a vegetative state for 15 years has begun to show signs of consciousness, thanks to an experimental therapy. the pioneering treatment involved implanting a nerve simulator in his chest. fergus walsh reports. for 15 years the patient in france had been completely unaware of the world around him following a car accident and severe brain injury,

until a medical team in lyon restored some consciousness. they did it by stimulating the vagus nerve which connects the brain to other organs. surgeons implanted a nerve stimulator in the man's chest and this was linked by a wire to the vagus nerve in the neck and then an electrical pulse was introduced. after treatment, the team report that the patient could follow an object with his eyes and slowly turn his head when asked, though he remains largely paralysed and unable to talk. now the image on the right shows, three months after stimulation, there is more activity in the key brain areas there than before the implant was inserted. and this is a before and after reading of electrical activity in the brain. again, on the right, the warmer colours here show greater connections at the back

of the brain. this team in birmingham measure the brain activity of healthy volunteers. so we're just putting gel into the electrodes. and in patients with severe brain injuries, they say the french research is intriguing. i think this is a very exciting result. we have to be very cautious in the way that we interpret it, as it is only data from one patient, but i think it highlights the potential for future therapies for disorders of consciousness. what we need is a large group of patients with this stimulations so that we can work out exactly how it's working. cathy rentzenbrink‘s brother matty spent years in a vegetative state, he died after a judge agreed with the family that his feeding tubes should be withdrawn. she says this research may raise false hopes. the debate will be muddied because everybody reading the headlines will say — oh, doctors have woken someone up. whereas actually, to say that's someone's been in a vegetative state

and now minimally conscious is, well, a lot people thinking being minimally conscious is worse. this research raises ethical issues about the long term care of vegetative patients. last week, a judge in london ruled that legal permission is no longer required to withdraw feeding tubes when doctors and relatives agree. a decision that is likely to be challenged. fergus walsh, bbc news. as we've been reporting, women may soon be allowed to drive in saudi arabia. but injapan they are trying to ta ke arabia. but injapan they are trying to take some driving licences away. drivers over the age of 65 are causing a growing number of accidents, with nearly one in three responsible for all such incidents. she has been driving for half a century. but at 73 amiko has decided it is time for a refresher class.

the instructors say as we get older it is harder to make a quick judgements needed on the roads, so they practise. translation: it is important to educate ageing drivers literally behind the steering wheel, so that they can see and become aware of their own shortcomings. as well as courses like this, local authorities are offering incentives to get the least confident drivers off the road. discounts on noodles, even cheaper funerals. that might be a tempting offer in a country with some of the higher —— highest burial costs in the world. $20,000 is not unusual. cheap taxis and bust tickets are also offered. not enough to persuade the elderly to hand back their licences, says another participant. he says the rules should be stricter. translation: driving requires physical abilities, no matter how will you thinking ahead your body has to respond first. if you can't pass strict

testing is at a training school like this then you have to accept it. that way, people would accept reality, i think. with the elderly set to account for 40% of the panthers population within a few decades, it's a message are those would be wise to heed. you have been watching newsday. i'm rico hizon. stay with us, we'll be looking at how the equifax data breach has claimed one more victim, its ceo, who's stepping down. stay tuned for that. and here is how to have fun, even if you don't get the weather on holiday. heavy rain hit southern croatia on tuesday and created major flooding, but that did not stop one tourist from having lots of fun. he is on holiday from the czech republic and he went for a bit of a swim in the street before running around like a kid in the piazza, and why not? stayed with us, we'll be back soon. good morning. yet again if you had

some sunshine yesterday you probably had some and in fact in the london area we saw highs of 22 degrees. some sunny spells, as you can see. but things are set to change. this low pressure is moving in and we will have wet and windy weather by the end of the day to day for many of us. we start off with the west and east divide. a bit of patchy mist and fog slowly lifting away, at the wind will strengthen and cloud and rain gathers. some of it quite heavy by the middle of the afternoon. the best of the weather is likely to stay in the south—east corner and we could have temperatures into the low 20s. by the end of the afternoon across the south—west of england and parts of wales we could have some rain arriving. in east wales might get a bit of brightness. 17— 18 degrees. the heaviest rain in the northern

ireland where it will feel dismal. not a bad end to the afternoon in much of northern england and eastern scotland. cloud thickening up, wind strengthening in western fringes. that weather front sweeps eastwards through the evening and overnight and in actual fact it is through the evening and overnight and in actualfact it is moving through the evening and overnight and in actual fact it is moving at quite a pace. there will be some heavy rain, for all of us at some point, clearing away in all but eastern fringes towards dawn. with clearer skies and lighter winds we could have patchy mist and fog forming. more favoured spots for it to linger perhaps through the south—east england and wales. but again further west on thursday we have the best of the sunshine. after a cloudy and damp start there is a slow improvement through the eastern fringes, but we might keep a bit of cloud in the south—east. the highest values, 14— 20 degrees. as we move out of thursday into friday things are set to change. that's partly because of what's happening across north america, with a cold plunge of

aircoming out of north america, with a cold plunge of air coming out of canada, mix in with warm and moist air in the caribbean, which will strengthen the jet, which will in turn deflect these areas of low pressure across these areas of low pressure across the uk. a spell of wet and windy weather moving into friday is likely to sweep steadily eastwards, behind ita to sweep steadily eastwards, behind it a better and brighter bit of weather to come. 14— 19 is the high. this pattern continues into the weekend. saturday could have sunshine and showers before another significant area of low pressure brings wet and windy weather. day. —— for sunday. i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story: a historic day in saudi arabia, where women have been told that from next year they will be able to drive. king salman issued an order allowing women to be given driving licences. saudi arabia is the only country in the world where it is forbidden. an active volcano on the holiday island of bali has entered a critical phase, and an eruption

could be imminent. 75,000 people have left the area surrounding mount agung. and this story is trending on bbc.com: a shopping list created by an indian woman to help her husband with their weekly food shop has gone viral. it is full of instructions and little illustrations showing what to look for. era golwalkar‘s list has struck a chord with thousands of social media users. that is all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk.